Former Audi LMP1 driver and 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Loic Duval will make his full-time return to the FIA World Endurance Championship for the 2018-19 ‘super season’ with LMP2 team TDS Racing.
Duval, 35, was part of Audi’s LMP1 line-up from 2012 until its closure at the end of the 2016 season, taking victory at Le Mans in 2013 en route to the WEC drivers’ title alongside Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen.
Duval did not return to the WEC full-time in 2016, making a one-off appearance at the season finale in Bahrain with the TDS-run G-Drive Racing team, finishing seventh in class.
TDS Racing confirmed it will race in the WEC’s LMP2 class through the 13-month ‘super season’, starting next May with the 6 Hours of Spa, and named Duval in its line-up alongside the returning Francois Perrodo and Mathieu Vaxiviere.
“I am very happy to come back to WEC and to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, alongside my Audi program, and more over I am very excited about the environment in which I will complete this,” Duval said.
“It’s a professional race team, but also a family amongst which I know that we will have fun. I would like to thank François and Matthieu for this great opportunity.
“I can’t wait to fight and compete in the LMP2 category which we have seen to be ultra competitive and I look forward to achieving our goals.”
Duval remains part of Audi’s factory driver line-up, having raced in DTM throughout 2017, and is expected to retain his drive for next season alongside his WEC commitments.